Donatia has been placed in the subfamily Donatioideae, described by Johannes Mildbraed in his 1908 taxonomic monograph of the family Stylidiaceae.

[4][5] As early as three years after Mildbraed's publication of the subfamily Donatioideae, other authors began to question the placement and argued for recognition of Donatiaceae.

[6] The APG II system recommended the inclusion of Donatia in Stylidiaceae but allowed for the optional recognition of the family Donatiaceae.

D. novae-zelandiae is found in the alpine and subalpine regions of New Zealand and Tasmania while D. fascicularis is native to similar habitats in southern South America to latitude 40°S.

[2] In Chile Donatia fascicularis is, together with Astelia pumila, dominant in the cushion bogs that exists in areas exposed to the Pacific coast.